About Giulia Dessi

Giulia Dessi has recently completed a Master degree in International Journalism at Cardiff University, UK. Her master dissertation focused on the role of citizens in the decision-making process following the Icelandic banking system collapse and in the accomplishment of democratic improvements.

Constitutional conventions: best practice

A wave of enthusiasm took Icelanders through the 2012 referendum after the 2008 crash, once the widely-praised 'crowd-sourced' constitution appeared to be within reach. But Icelanders’ hopes seem to be evaporating in the haze of this week-end's parliamentary elections.

This Saturday, a year after a Constitutional Council has written a draft constitution with the help of citizens, voters agreed this draft should be the basis for a new constitution. This writing experiment stands out for its surprisingly democratic process, but a closer look reveals some of its limitations.

After Iceland’s financial collapse in 2008,
Icelandic citizens wanted a plan to clean up the island’s political system. A
new draft constitution, written by a council of ordinary people, was handed
over to the parliament. And on 20 October, all Icelanders will be asked for
their opinion in a consultative referendum.

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